Sundrian Empathizers Part One
by AdcuiliellandNWRno3
Summary: Two teenage girls find themselves suddenly immersed in the world of Sodor. Soon they will play an important role, but for now they have to find their places in a world they thought was make-believe. Later chapters may be rated T for some serious themes, but mostly just to be safe. Most chapters are K or K . Most major characters are included at some point.
1. Introduction

Sundrian Empathizers Part 1

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters, except for my OCs Hazel and Talynn, and a few more OCs that will be introduced later.

"What's a fourth wall?" Well, this is actually a rewrite of something I wrote in about the third grade, my first completed story. Hopefully this update of it will have less plot-holes and more logic. Rated M to be safe in later chapters, but most of the story is K or K+, honestly. Prepare for chapters to be short (like my attention span) but updated as regularly as possible.

Introduction - Kids, Don't Try This at Home:

* * *

Talynn and I hadn't seen each other in months. For some reason, we had the bright idea to go on a sort of adventure, which we rarely did - we rode our bikes from her dad's new house (where I had driven to) to a convenience store a few miles down the road. On the way back, we decided to walk the bikes through an empty field, a short cut.

"Whoah, where did that come from?" I yelped, stumbling. We stood at the edge of a deep hole that I hadn't noticed before. I knelt down to look at it.

"What's this metal sticking out of - oh," I said, still confused, looking at the rusted metal rods that came from the tunnel.

"Are they…railway tracks? But…the line runs back there. There was never a branch line over here, was there?" Talynn asked.

"I didn't think so, but that's what it looks like. But why would it be in a hole?" I thought out loud.

"Maybe it's a sinkhole, and they didn't know about it? No…it's in the hole, not over it…it can't be a tunnel…" Talynn kicked a small rock into the hole.

"Wait - hold on!" With new insight, I picked up a slightly larger rock and tossed it in. We heard no sound to show it hit the bottom, just as I had thought.

"There wasn't any sound…but, how?" Talynn studied the hole.

"Oh my gosh. Talynn. Do you realize what we just found?" I grinned.

"I…huh? Wait - no, you know it's not that! Hazel. Be serious! You know that's just make-believe!" She argued, understanding my point.

"Says the Hen-Awartha," I wouldn't be persuaded otherwise. "It all adds up! The tracks in the middle of the field, the hole with no bottom…" I shone my phone flashlight into the hole, and saw only more darkness. But it wasn't right: the shadow was too sudden and in the wrong place, like a picture that had been cut off.

"So, if you were right - which you aren't - what do we do?" she asked.

"Just…jump in. I think. There isn't really much information on this, actually," I started to question my theory.

"And if you're wrong, which you are, then we fall into a hole that is somehow so deep that we couldn't even hear something hit the bottom."

"But that's my point, there's no way it could've randomly appeared and be that big on its own, even if it is a sinkhole. I'm going to try it. What about this: I step first, and if I'm not screaming and in excruciating pain in a few seconds, you follow, alright?"

"Suit yourself. But this isn't what you think it is. The stories you wrote in third grade just won't happen, I'm sorry."

"Again, this is coming from a Hen-Awartha. Besides, there's literally an entire movie explaining why this could totally work. We are going to be the new Lily Stones. Trust me. This is an entrance to the Magic Railroad."

I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and stepped out.


	2. Chapter 1 - We're What?

Chapter 1 - We're What?!

 **Disclaimer:** Still don't own these guys, except for the ones you don't recognize. (Completely unintentional rhyme whaaaaat?)

* * *

For a second, it felt like I was falling, and my heart jumped in my throat. Then I heard a sound like a level crossing bell ringing, and felt like I had landed on something soft. I opened my eyes, which had been tightly closed.

In reality, I hadn't landed. Instead, I floated gently along, a few feet above a track. Around me, green light filtered through shadowy trees, and everything was calm. I saw Talynn appear behind me a second or two later, cursing excitedly.

The next few seconds seemed much longer as we floated along. Talynn rapidly asked me questions about anything and everything about the Island that we would soon (hopefully) arrive at, believing me now. Then, the end of the tunnel neared, and we were thrown roughly out, onto a grassy hillside beside more tracks. Even though I had been expecting it, I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming as we flew through the air before our landing.

We barely had time to gather our thoughts before we heard the sound of an approaching train. Talynn cursed again under her breath, then said "What are we going to do?"

"Tell the truth," I decided. "We just got through the Secret Railroad. They'll probably want to document the entrance, if they didn't know about it. Just then, the engine rounded a turn and came into view, a modified Hughes L&YR Class 28 in red livery. Now it was my turn to be upset. "Of course the first engine we see is James. Why couldn't I get lucky? Can I just meet Henry? Please?" I grumbled.

Talynn and I stood up and made our way closer to the track, waving for attention. The driver had already seen us, and began to apply the brakes. James came to a stop near us, empty boxcars behind. His driver hopped out of the cab and came to speak to us.

"Where did you two come from?" He asked.

"Um…the Secret Railroad…?" I gestured towards the tunnel. "We're from America. We were walking around our town, and found a hole with tracks in it. We realized what it was, and here we are," I shrugged.

"Sir Topham Hatt will want to hear about this," the driver said, surprised. "I'm George. You are…?" We gave him our names, and were told to get into one of the empty boxcars that would be taken to Tidmouth Station, where we would go to the Controller's office.

During the journey, we discussed our situation a bit more, but soon we were there. George came to get us as the boxcars were uncoupled, and had us wait while he and the fireman took James to a siding to wait for his next task. George then came towards us again and led us towards Sir Topham Hatt's office. We waited outside as the driver explained the situation. When he returned, he opened the door for us then returned to his engine.

"I hate confrontations," I murmured as I opened the door. The man sitting behind the desk motioned for us to sit in the two chairs opposite him. I looked around at the pictures and documents framed on the walls. Two pictures caught my eye, sharing a frame. The first showed an engine in green livery, an odd combination of Gresley A1 Pacific and Ivatt C1 Atlantic. The second showed a Stanier 4-6-0 5MT; both the Black Five and the previous engine bore the same number and livery, for they were the same engine. Of course, I knew the unique story behind NWR's No. 3.

I was drawn out of my daydream as Sir Topham Hatt began to speak. "So, you two came here through the Secret Railroad, did you? Can you tell me where the entrance you found is located?"

We told him the name of our town, and he continued. "I should probably tell you since you've come here, but this has been happening a lot lately. New entrances appearing out of nowhere, I mean. There are two families who are considered experts on matters such as these: the Conductors and the Stones. Both have told us that something bad will come of this, and have speculated that it might involve P.T. Boomer."

"Wait - P. T. Boomer? The villain that test audiences thought would frighten children, so he was taken out of the movie?" I interrupted.

"I see you know what you're talking about," he nodded. "But P.T. Boomer is much more frightening in real life than in the movie, I'm sorry to say. You two are the first two to come here and fully realize what's going on, so I'm telling you this. You actually realized how you came here, and that's more than most - some people have accidentally found entrances to the Secret railroad, like I mentioned before. I wonder…" he drifted off. I shared a glance with Talynn.

After a moment, he spoke again. "I probably shouldn't mention this, but we'll need all the help we can get if P.T. Boomer really is out there… Have either of you ever heard the term 'empathizers?'"

"I knew it!" I exclaimed loudly. "Um…sorry. I mean, I've heard rumors about it. In truth, if what I think about empathizers is true, I really want to be one. I was completely obsessed with the Railway Series and the television show as a kid, and TATMR, too. I never fully grew out of it, I guess. It's never really left my mind since then, but I didn't tell anyone other than her," I nodded at Talynn.

STH nodded. "From that, there's a possibility, honestly. Not all empathizers were like that, though. Some were fascinated in childhood, and then grew out of it. Others were never really interested beforehand - that's quite rare, though. In the past, empathizers were more common. Most of our engines had one at some point. When the fall of steam began, the empathizers were getting older anyways, and they eventually died off. But lately, with all of this with P.T. Boomer, the Stones have shown interest in finding more. Actually, both Lily and Burnett are empathizers - their Lady is the only engine to have two.

"So, I guess the next step is to test the two of you. Talynn, I haven't heard from you yet. And Hazel, you seem quite knowledgeable, is it possible that you have an idea of which engine's empathizer you could be?"

"Well, I really never had much to do with all of…this…until now. Hazel was convinced of all of it, she was the one that got me to go through the hole we found. I always went along with the games we played when we were younger, but I never really enjoyed it like she did. I don't know much about all of this, but I'm willing to take the test and find out more," Talynn spoke slowly, contemplating her words carefully.

"Interesting. And you, Hazel?"

"Yes. I mean, I have a very clear idea. Yep. It's pretty funny how clear, actually. When I was little, everyone else's favorite character seemed to be Thomas, Percy, or James - and I was just over there completely obsessed with someone else - not in a weird way, I mean. Anyway… So as I got older, I realized that this engine and I had uncannily similar personalities, at least his portrayal in the Railway Series and early tv episodes. I'm pretty sure about this, and I can't even explain it; is that normal for an empathizer?"

He nodded, encouraging me to go on.

"Yeah…anyways. It's Henry. If I'm an empathizer, I'm his empathizer, there's no question in my mind," I blushed.

"Hm…interesting. I saw you looking at those pictures when you first came in. You know, he's never had an empathizer before. I can see it, honestly. You seem quite sure, and with an empathizer, that pretty much confirms it. Still, we'll have both of you take the test. It's just a simple personality test, actually. Then you can go with that engine's driver and fireman on their next run, and see how that goes. If nothing goes wrong, we'll let you tag along for a few more journeys in the next few weeks, and spend some more time with them, just to be sure. You'll both need to learn as much as possible about the operation of steam engines. I have the feeling that engine empathizers are going to be very important soon…" As he spoke, he looked through his desk drawers, eventually procuring a stack of papers.

"Ah, here we are," he handed each of us a paper, and motioned for us to begin. Some of the questions were asking about how much we knew about the Island, and if so, who our favorite characters in childhood were. Other questions were more "what would you do in X scenario" or "which of these words would you/others use to describe yourself."

When Talynn and I finished, we handed the papers over, and Sir Topham Hatt looked over them, mumbling under his breath. I heard things like "Hm, seems like…are you sure she even is one…this seems pretty clear though…well, it's worth a try…" with Talynn's, and just lots of nodding and "it certainly all adds up" with mine. That sounded promising.

"Well, I think the results are quite clear. Talynn, since you have no experience with the stories, your results are less certain - but if you are an empathizer, it's quite likely that you will work with James. And Hazel, you were definitely right. 100% aptitude. I honestly don't think I've ever heard of an empathetic relationship this strong, if it's true. And Talynn, if you and James end up working together, as seems likely, it's impossibly rare to find an empathizer with no previous knowledge. We really are incredibly lucky to find both of you."

I grinned. "So…when do we start?"

"Right now, if you like. James' next train is a passenger train to Wellsworth, and Henry's is a fast goods to Maron. And both of those depart from here in…" he pulled out a ridiculously nice pocket watch, "fifteen minutes. You came here with James, correct? He should still be in the same siding. Hazel, it would be simplest if you walk there with Talynn and then ask James' crew to take you to where Henry is, and talk to his crew. Good luck!" He stood and showed us out of his office. With one last glance at the picture, I stepped outside, grinning. As Talynn and I began making our way to James and his crew, we started talking.

"So…what do we do now? I mean, what about home? When will we get back? Won't people worry about us?"

"Oh yeah, you're right… Well, I imagine they've thought of it, and this can't take too long - remember, this is an island, the trips aren't going to be as long as the last time we were on a train together. They're not even the full length of the line, just a few stations down. I'd say to enjoy this as much as you can, but I really don't know what I'm doing, either." I replied.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. I'll try. I'm honestly really surprised, but this seems like it's going to be really cool. The idea of being an empathizer - like a friendship but closer, and another secret reality for us. I honestly hope I am his empathizer…" she said as we arrived.

"So, how was it? spoke George.

"Empathizers," we both replied. "We took a test. He thinks I'm James' empathizer, and she's Henry's," Talynn explained, to George's surprise.

"We're supposed to go with the respective crews on the next run," I explained. "Sir Topham Hatt asked if you could take me to Henry's crew quickly and explain to them."

"Alright, I can do that. Ted and Robert are quite nice, and I think you'll like Henry, too."

"I know I will," I said as we set off. Talynn joined us, with James watching his prospective empathizer carefully.

"Hello, Ted! These two came through the Secret Railway earlier today! The Fat Controller talked to him, and he thinks they're empathizers! This one is supposed to go with you on the fast goods, and her friend is coming with us to Wellsworth! But I'd better go get James ready, good luck, Hazel!" George and Talynn hurried off.

"Um…hi. I'm Hazel," I said shyly. Ted, the driver, introduced himself. So did Robert, the fireman.

"Hello. So you're my new empathizer?" asked Henry, curiously.

"Not yet," I laughed. "STH is going to see how things are going after a couple of weeks. I'm supposed to come with your crew for a few journeys, and spend some time with you. I really hope I am your empathizer, though," I smiled. Talking to an engine was much more intimidating than I had expected.

Henry smiled encouragingly. "I hope so as well. I've never had an empathizer before, but some of the others have. I like you already, as strange as it might seem. Does that mean you're my empathizer?"

"I don't know, I hope so. I know what you mean, though. It's like how sometimes you just click with people, and they become your best friends. But it's more uncanny…" I laughed.

"Come along, Henry. We can't be late," Ted leaned out of the cab. "You too, Hazel. I know you want to make friends, though," he laughed good-naturedly. I climbed up into the cab with Ted and Robert. Robert was putting a shovelful of coal into the fire, and Ted was easing open the regulator, and I felt right at home.


	3. Chapter 2 - For Sure

Chapter Two - For Sure

 **Disclaimer:** "Okay, you do the disclaimer this time, Henry."

"But why does he get to do it? I should clearly be the one chosen to do it! I -"

"Because I'm his empathizer. Maybe next time, James. You can go ahead now, Henry."

"Okay...um...she doesn't own us, that would be The Fat Controller - I mean Sir Topham Hatt."

* * *

Ted and Robert slowly guided their engine out of his siding and through various point switches until we reached a long, heavy-looking load of cars. Ted eased us to a stop and another man, standing nearby, coupled Henry to the trucks, then jogged back to the brake-van. We started again then, slowly gaining speed and heading out on the main line. As we passed the station platforms, I saw James waiting for his passengers to board, and thought of Talynn in his cab.

Soon, however, I was focused only on what I was doing. First, Robert began to show me how to shovel coal into the firebox - how often to do it, how much to shovel, and where to place it. A few times, we had to use the sharp edge of the shovel to break up chunks of coal into smaller pieces before using them. He explained the difference in primary air and secondary air, and how they affected the burning of the coal, and how you could tell by the smoke. I understood a lot of it, but I still needed him to watch me carefully and tell me what to do.

Then, Ted began to show me the different controls, such as the regulator, reverser, and various gauges. That was a lot more confusing and precise, so I knew that would take much more practice. For the rest of the run, I either watched them, or looked outside at the scenery.

"Soon you'll be able to do this alone!" calls Robert as I lean out to look at the bright green fields outside.

"Which…both?" I ask, almost unbelieving. "But both of you are so busy as it is!"

"We are, you're right, but I know you'll be able to do it eventually," he answered.

"He's right," Ted chimed in. "I've never seen it myself, but I've been told that empathizers have such a strong relationship with their engine that they can be both driver and fireman with enough practice. They can coordinate all of the tasks perfectly after building up stamina. Then, they're able to take, say, a run or two each week from the main crew to keep building the relationship."

"You won't mind that?" I asked. "I mean, I don't want to seem rude. I just came here, I don't really know what I'm doing yet, I don't want to butt into your job."

"We really don't mind. Sure, it'll be strange, but Ted and I will be more than happy to have a bit of time off - and you are Henry's first empathizer, we're just happy that this happened."

"But it's still not certain yet…this is just the trial," I worried.

"Trust me. I think you're his empathizer. He likes you, and we like you. You fit in with us already!" Ted said cheerily.

"If you're sure…" I was still worried. What if something happened, and I wasn't the right fit?

Ted and Robert eased the Stanier to a stop at Maron station. The line of cars was uncoupled, and soon we were guided through a few sidings to end up facing the right way to return home.

The journey back to Tidmouth was uneventful. Ted and Robert went to go get a meal, leaving Henry and I in a siding, as Talynn wasn't back yet. I stood awkwardly in front of the 5MT.

"Um…I guess you can tell that I don't really know what I'm doing around here. I mean, I know all the stories and things - but, well, they don't exactly teach you how stuff works. This is going to have quite the learning curve…" I laughed nervously.

"Don't worry. I figured as much. Even though I've never had an empathizer of my own, I used to watch the others and theirs. It was normal then for empathizers to be nervous and inexperienced at first, but it's even more understandable now, since locomotives are much less common," he reassured me.

"Thank you, that helps a lot, actually…" we drifted into that awkward silence that happens when two shy people are starting to make friends. After a pause, he spoke again.

"I'm really looking forward to our first job, where it's just the two of us. I can help teach you too, don't worry," he smiled down at me.

I was about to speak again, but I heard footsteps behind me, running quickly. I turned to see Talynn sprinting towards us, a huge smile on her face. "We did it we did it we did it we did it!" she danced around.

Surprised, I commented, "Haha wait, wasn't I supposed to be the one who's so excited about this?" Ignoring my comment, Talynn continued on.

"That was so much fun, I really hope I'm his empathizer, we're not as similar as you guys but we make a really good team, that's what his driver and fireman said, it's crazy that I didn't think this was real a few hours ago, when will we be able to come back?!"

Henry laughed. "I don't think we've been introduced, actually. Talynn?"

She quickly grew silent, although still appearing exuberant. Of course, all engines seem huge to people, but my LMS Stanier 5MT was a lot larger than the Hughes. …I just said 'my,' didn't I…?

"Yes, I'm Talynn. It's Henry, right?" She laughed both giddily and nervously. "I guess I should've payed a bit more attention to Hazel when she talked about this. But still, I can't help but know who you are, she talks about you a lot." Henry and I both began to blush as I tried to stutter out an explanation to no avail.

"Well, I guess that's more evidence for you being my natural empathizer," he pointed out, cheeks still pink. I nodded.

We were interrupted by the station clock chiming. Talynn and I quickly checked the time and started. "We have to get back! They'll wonder where we are!" She worried.

With perfect timing, the stationmaster appeared. "I overheard that last bit, you're right. The F - Sir Topham Hatt, I mean, told me to get the two of you back home. You won't have to use the buffers anymore, though. There's a bit of a stock of gold dust left from the old empathizers, so you can each have a whistle with plenty to spare. All you'll need to do is picture a place in your mind and whistle through it. But I should warn you, it's best to pick places without people," he laughed. "I suppose you realize you'll have to keep this a secret at home." We both nodded.

The stationmaster returned to his job, and Talynn began to step away, preparing to travel home.

"Just one minute, if that's alright," I motioned towards Henry. Talynn nodded and moved out of earshot.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?"

"Alright, and I'll stay busy until you get back," he laughed.

"I feel like this is going to work out really well, I can't wait to see what we'll be able to do together. I feel like this is leading up to something big, if that makes sense…" I thought.

"Me too. And that does make sense, don't worry. But I don't want Talynn to wait, you'd better go, Hazel. I'll see you soon!"

"Yeah, you're right. I'll see you soon, Henry," I hesitantly touched the engine's left buffer and turned to follow Talynn. Together, we agreed on the place and blew the whistles. A moment later we were home, standing by the hole we had found just a few hours earlier. The world we had fallen into was crazy, but who says crazy is always a bad thing?

After walking to her dad's house, we spent the rest of the day together discussing, planning, and researching, even more excited than before for the unknown future.


	4. Chapter 3 - Flying Kipper

Chapter Three - Flying Kipper

 **Disclaimer:** "Okay, James, your turn."

"Finally. She doesn't own us, but I'm pretty sure she could get Henry to do whatever she wanted -"

"Hey!"

"I mean, it's true, lucky for me I have an empathizer suited for a grand engine like myself. You, on the other hand, Henry..."

"James... Do I have to tell the story about the bootlaces again?"

"Alright, alright, Hazel is a good empathizer and you two are a great team and she doesn't own us, she's just writing this story to tell people about us! Don't bring that up!"

* * *

 _The sleek green-liveried Black Five thundered down the main line, pistons pushing the locomotive further into the darkness under a light, dreary, cold drizzle. In the cab, a single slight female figure stood; stoking busily, adjusting the main levers, and checking gauges. She sounded the engine's low whistle, which echoed eerily in the pre-dawn hills. This was the famous Flying Kipper - or infamous, depending on who you ask - and Hazel and Henry were determined to make their first job together go smoothly._

I really just wanted the Kipper to go well. Of course we had the luck of taking a train that was said to be cursed on our first run together. Talynn and James got a simple trip to the quarry and back to drop off some empty flatbeds. The sun had been shining, the day had been warm and cheerful. But of course, I wasn't able to fit anything in my schedule until now, so our first job was the Kipper.

I didn't really mind, though, aside from being nervous. I was looking forward to showing what we could to together, and our empathetic relationship had been developing steadily. I knew that Henry often enjoyed the Kipper, and I was looking forward to seeing why.

I was anxious enough as it was, as planning this took far longer than anyone expected. It had been made official that I was Henry's empathizer, but I still worried that Sir Topham Hatt would change his mind if I didn't perform well enough. Then there was the matter of the actual train. I worked in a tense silence, not fully trusting my months of experience to make the Kipper run smoothly. Every now and then, Henry would help me through what I needed to do and give me advice.

"The first station is coming up, Hazel. Remember to stoke the fire when we stop," he teased. "And remember to use my whistle at the right times."

"Yep," I nodded, smiling nervously even though he couldn't see me for obvious reasons. We slowed and stopped smoothly. I thought I was a little far up, but luckily the platform here was long enough and everything was fine. I gave the whistle cue again and we set off slowly - maybe a little bit too slowly, but I was paranoid about wheelslip from going too fast, which would shake up Henry's fire.

The next station came a little quicker than I expected, and he had to remind me to let off steam. Still, my confidence began to grow as the Flying Kipper crossed the countryside. We still worked mostly in silence, but I occasionally asked questions and Henry pointed out things along the way, his voice drifting back to the cab. As we were pulling away from the next-to-last stop, he spoke again.

"The sun will be rising soon, Hazel. That's what I really enjoy about the Kipper. It's so peaceful out here, too," he gave a soft laugh. Sure enough, a few minutes later the edges of the horizon began to light up. I was still focused on the controls and fire in a strange mix of frantic concentration and detached calm that I had been in since we began, and the sunrise began in full before I noticed.

We made our final stop without incident and began the trip back. The line ran beside the sea, which rippled with the glow of molten gold under the low sun. The sky was in layers of orange and pink near the sun, but still the deep blue-black of night to our right. Wispy clouds only made the colors more striking. I leaned out for a moment and watched our shadow racing alongside us.

The line made a swooping turn and put the sun in our eyes for a moment. After the line straightened again, the rising sun was nearly behind us. The colors continued to brighten, stretching halfway across the sky before fading into blue. Birds began to chirp around us amidst the sounds of the sea. The only other sounds that we heard were the distant villages and towns beginning to wake, still sleepy in the early morning.

Passing through a small village, I saw two children running down a pathway beside the track, waving and watching us. It took me a moment to realize that they were actually waving at me, as the song "Night Train" was stuck in my head, giving the whole experience a surreal feel to it. I finally waved back before hurriedly stoking the fire.

All too soon, we eased to a halt at our destination and the empty trucks were uncoupled. I moved Henry into the siding that we were directed towards, then set the fire to burn slowly and made some adjustments to a few controls. I hopped out of the cab after double checking myself, and ran around to his front.

"So, how was your first solo run?" he asked, his face a little flushed from the fast run.

"What do you mean, 'solo'?" I laughed good-naturedly. "I couldn't have done it without you telling me what to do!"

"True, but that's not a bad thing. You did it! Besides, even Ted and Robert sometimes rely on me to help them out, most crews do. But how did you like the Flying Kipper?"

I laughed again. "It was great… I can definitely tell why you like it! It's so peaceful. It was great when it was dark and all I could hear was us, and then when the sun rose it got even better!" As I talked, I climbed up on the front edge of his footplate and sat, swinging my feet.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it! I always love showing people how great it can be, but sadly, many people still joke that it's cursed. Especially James. Oh, how is Talynn doing with James?" he asked.

"I think it's going quite well, actually. They have a different relationship than we do, but I suppose all empathizers are different, right? They compliment each other well, though. She might seem a little scatterbrained. but she's really very good. She's a good friend, even if we aren't as close now as we were when we were younger…" I drifted off.

"Sorry. But James can be a bit overbearing and prideful, can't he? I know she'll deal well with that, she probably won't take it!" I laughed. "But really, she knows what to do. They work together well."

Henry thought for a moment, then spoke. "You know, I think I like the type of friendship that we have better than what they have - I mean, I know that's probably better for them, but this works better for us, don't you think?" I nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"Well, you must've been told that you're my first empathizer. Things have been hard at times in the past - but I'm not trying to get into that now. I'm just glad that we have the type of friendship where we're similar enough to understand each other well, even if we're still learning more about each other. It makes things a lot easier. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like when we're both more experienced with this whole 'empathizer' thing…"

"So am I," I replied contentedly. We stayed chatting quietly until it was time for his next train, and time for me to return home for another day as an "average" high school student.


	5. Chapter 4 - Old Married Couple

Chapter Four - Old Married Couple

 **Disclaimer:** "Do you want to do it this time, Edward?"

"Sure. She doesn't own us, she's just writing these stories as Henry's empathizer. I believe HIT Entertainment and the Awdry family currently own the publishing rights, although I could be wrong. How was that?"

"Good! Thank you, Edward."

* * *

"James, I know you don't like slow goods, and I think they're boring as watching paint dry, but you know you have to do the work!"

"I won't. And you're not convincing me to do it, either. Slow goods are beneath an engine of my importance," he retorted.

Talynn and I were relaxing in the sheds, putting off going home. Or, we had been relaxing until she decided to discuss the next day's tasks with James.

"How long have they been going at it?" Henry whispered.

I checked my watch from my usual place on his footplate and replied, "About ten minutes now," laughing quietly.

"They argue like an old married couple," laughed Edward from Henry's other side. I nodded. "Somehow they work well together, though."

"If you ask me, James is too big for his wheels anyway! The next time he causes trouble, maybe the Fat Controller should take away his red paint!" Thomas suggested cheekily.

"Thomas, you keep out of this! You may have your own branch line, but I'm still more important than you are," James huffed.

"So then why don't you have a branch line, James? Thomas has had his for years!" Percy interrupted innocently.

"Percy, you don't understand. A branch line can be important, yes, but it's far better to be such a splendid engine. After all, there are more passengers to admire me here on the mainline," James began pompously.

"Except for tomorrow, when you'll be taking a slow goods to the works," Talynn quickly shot back, jokingly elbowing him from where she sat on his running board. James spluttered incoherently.

"James is right, you know," Gordon began grandly. "There's no use wasting us big engines on goods runs. Edward, Thomas, and Percy can do things like that."

"Alright, there's one thing I've never understood about all of this. Why am I included in the 'little engines'? I have a tender too, and I'm not that much smaller than James," Edward asked. He wasn't really angry, just playing along.

"You see, little Edward - "

"I'm older than you are, Gordon!"

"Well, I'm more splendid. You remember when the NWR had only us four engines? You, me, James, and Henry. Then, you were the smallest, and the label stuck. But we big engines really do need you little engines; after all, who else would do the little jobs?"

"Oh, you mean like being your back engine up steep hills you can't climb?" Edward asked, smiling. As Gordon tried to think of a comeback, Henry whispered to me, "I really don't mind those jobs. Slow goods are peaceful and being a back engine makes me feel useful. Besides, when I was sick, the slow goods were much easier to pull."

I nodded, touching the metal boiler casing. "I understand, I think of it the same way. And I'm just glad that you're well now."

"Me too," he laughed.

"What do you mean, red paint makes my tender look big?!" It seemed we had tuned out of the argument for a little too long. As soon as James had spoken, everyone burst into laughter. After the room grew quiet again, the argument calmed down, and went back to James and Talynn.

"You know you have to. There's literally no way of getting around it."

"I do not. I can stay right here." James said with the tone of a child who doesn't get what he wants.

"I know you're not stupid enough to do that: you know what happens. Come on, James, just deal with the stupid slow goods train! I know you're just trying to see what you can get away with since I'm new!"

"Nope. Won't do it."

"James, do I have to get your crew in here? Or Sir Topham Hatt, maybe?"

James paled. "Well…what's the cargo?" he gave in a little.

"It's just parts, James. It's not coal, rocks, lumber, or anything else dirty," Talynn said, exasperated.

"Well, at least it isn't coal, I hate how it soils my paint…maybe I can take it. Of course, I'm not admitting that pulling goods trains isn't beneath me," James finished quickly. Talynn was visibly relieved. "Thanks, James," she said quietly. As the conversation shifted to other things, I heard him respond to his empathizer.

"Sorry about that. I really do hate those trains, but I always seem to overreact about it. Thanks for not getting too mad."

"It's alright, I understand. I am your empathizer, right?" Talynn answered kindly.

"Did you hear that?" Henry whispered. I nodded, grinning. "James never says anything like that. Ever."

"They really do make a great team, don't they?" I whispered back.

"Yeah. But I think we make a better team, don't you?" Henry added.

"Definitely. We are the team." I replied confidently as he gave a little snort of laughter.


	6. Chapter 5 - New Empathizer

Chapter 5 - New Empathizer

 **AN:** I've been meaning to respond to the comments that I have, so here goes!

eliot reader - Thank you! I'm glad you like it. Yep, I thought that was a nice detail to put in there. Hazel and Talynn will certainly become great drivers in time, but I think they may have some more bumps along the way *wink*

Tanner H: Thank you, and yep, this is going to be more and more like a second TATMR as it goes along, I hope. And Thomas will be introduced soon! Meet his empathizer in this chapter, though.

GunCat: I'm glad you liked it, and yeah, all of the cut details are really interesting, aren't they? I'm glad you think so, because it was intended to feel like that, haha.

Guest: Thank you! Henry and Edward are actually my favorites, haha (I feel like one of those is pretty obvious...) That's understandable, it was written like that on purpose, and I addressed it in this chapter. You'll find out more soon, don't worry!

 **Disclaimer:** "Okay Thomas, your turn."

"Thanks. Well, she doesn't any characters that you recognize, and that includes me and all the other engines!"

* * *

I had just arrived on Sodor via gold dust, and was making my way to Sir Topham Hatt's office to talk to him. The night before, I had stayed awake thinking for a while about my job of being an empathizer. It wasn't much of a problem, but I had a few questions for him. After all, I didn't really know what I was supposed to do. Sure, I knew empathizers were friends to their engines and helped out the crews, but there had to be more to it than that…right?

On my first day, he had mentioned the possibility that the new passageways that were opening had something to do with P.T. Boomer. He said something about needing all the help he could get from empathizers, but what did that really mean? What was my real job as an empathizer even supposed to be?

Deep in thought, I opened the door to his office. I stopped short as soon as I entered, surprised. In the same chair where I had waited a few weeks before sat another girl about my age.

"Oh, Hannah. Perfect timing! Meet Jasmine Lowe, our newest empathizer." He said cheerily as she turned to look at me.

"Um. Hi. Has she taken the test yet?" I asked, stuttering.

"Yes, she finished shortly before you arrived. She shows a decently strong aptitude for Thomas, actually. I'd like for her to start as soon as possible, but he'll be on the branch line for the rest of the day. I thought you could take her around the station and explain some things today, then she could start tomorrow?" he asked, but I couldn't exactly refuse.

"Sure. I mean, yes sir. I'll do it. Henry and I don't have anything for a few hours anyways. I was going to spend some time just talking and learning things, can I go tell him that I'll be with Jasmine?" I asked.

"Of course. Make sure you show her everything you think she'll need," he stood to walk us out.

"Wait, one last thing - can I talk with you before I leave today? It's nothing serious, I just have a few questions, sir," I explained. He nodded as he closed the door.

The new empathizer and I stood for a few seconds in awkward silence. She had bright blue eyes, perfectly styled blonde shoulder-length hair, a pretty sky-blue shirt, and three piercings in each ear. In contrast, I must've looked a mess: grease-stained old jeans, a plain green shirt, and a sooty army jacket. My dark blonde hair was in a messy braid, I wore no makeup or eyeshadow on my (ironically) hazel eyes, and I wore a cluttered mismatched collection of necklaces. I thought she looked pretty and popular, although unsuited to the hot, sooty job of an empathizer.

"Hey. I'm Hazel, Henry's empathizer. I came here with my friend Talynn a few months ago. She's James' empathizer, by the way. We were the first two new empathizers, so I'll be showing you around, Jasmine. Can you tell me a little about yourself?" I gave a short introduction, slightly stumbling over my words the way I did around anyone more popular than myself.

"Nice. Well, I'm Canadian. I remember watching the show when I was little, but I kind of forgot about it. I was driving to my younger sister's softball game - I aged out last year - when my car broke down. I didn't have cell service, so I was walking to a gas station, and I just found this hole in the ground. I usually would've kept walking, but I just felt so curious, y'know? I tripped into it, and then I ended up here. I was super confused at first, but then I took the aptitude test, and I've started warming up to the idea of it. But…I never had it explained to me. What do empathizers even do, really?"

"Come on, walk with me, and I'll explain," I pointed towards the sheds. "Empathizers are pretty much the friends of their engines, but it's more than that. You know those people where a friendship comes naturally and you understand each other really well? It's more like that. After you've practiced for a few months, you'll be able to take the job of Thomas' crew - both driver and fireman - and take his trains instead of his usual crew. Talynn and I do our engines' runs with them a couple times each week," I stopped to show Jasmine the important things around the yards.

"There's the sheds, where we're going. The smaller buildings are little workshops and maintenance sheds. You already know where Sir Topham Hatt's office is, and you'll find out a lot more once you start working with Thomas and his driver and fireman tomorrow. Oh yeah, and that little stand has the best food," I pointed to a small cart on one of the platforms.

"What's it like, driving an engine on your own?" Jasmine asked.

"Well, for starters, it's dirty," I laughed. She gave me a surprised (but not unhappy) look, and I continued. "Coal dust everywhere, you're actually shoveling the coal into the fire, so it's really hot. There's grease in a lot of places to keep the metal pieces in working condition, so that gets on all your clothes. Make sure you wear old clothes like I am," I gestured to my dingy jeans.

"And sturdy shoes, too. But you don't really mind that much once you get used to it. It's really fun. There's the teamwork between you and your engine, and the Island is so beautiful. You can just lean out the cab and watch everything go by, it feels amazing," I laughed.

Jasmine thought for a moment as we continued walking. "But…I see what you mean, the friendship sounds great, but isn't there…more to it? Sir Topham Hatt said something about needing empathizers in the future. What was he talking about?"

I gave the newest empathizer a solemn look. "I'm not going to pretend. I really don't know. He said something like that to me too, that these new entrances and passageways have to do with something bigger. I've been thinking about it, and I'm not sure what it means, but I know we need to be prepared…all we can do right now is make our empathetic relationships as strong as possible, so we need to focus on that. But hey, you just got here, I don't want to get too serious yet. Do you want to meet Henry?"

"Well, that was depressing. Sure, let's go! I haven't met any of the engines yet, y'know."

I led Jasmine to the sheds and stepped over the tracks to take her to where Henry was resting, waiting for his train in a few hours.

"Oh, hello, Hazel! I didn't think you'd be coming this early? And who's this?" He called out to me when we were still a little ways away.

"Hello, Henry! This is Jasmine, she's the newest empathizer! The Fat Controller told me to show her around today since Thomas is on his branch line all day," I explained to him as we got closer.

"Oh, that makes sense. Hello, Jasmine!" Henry said kindly.

"Hey," she said softly. As popular and talkative as she seemed before, she drew back a little when confronted with the large locomotive.

"So, Henry, how are you feeling today?" I asked, trying to make it seem as nonchalant as possible.

"Fine, thank you," he gave me a knowing smile. Soon after becoming his empathizer, I had taken to asking him about his health whenever I arrived. I never meant to treat him differently because of it, but I worried a lot.

"Just fine?" I grinned, laughing.

"You know what I mean," he laughed. "Besides, have I ever been ill since you've been here?"

"Fair enough, I have to tease you, though," I laughed. "I just wanted to check in with you before taking Jasmine around the area. We have an hour before we need to start getting prepared for the next train. I'll be back soon, Hen." He laughed again at how I shortened his name.

"Alright, Hazel, I'll see you soon! Be careful!" He laughed.

"Uh-huh. Wait, what do you mean?"

"Well, you are clumsy…" he grinned.

"Oh, hush, even if it's true," I laughed again as Jasmine and I set off. As we walked, I sent a quick text to Talynn, telling her about the new empathizer. I meant to go by the office before showing Jasmine around, but when we got to the station I saw that no one was in the office. Mentally making a note to find Sir Topham Hatt and ask him my question when Henry and I returned, I kept walking with Jasmine.


	7. Chapter 6 - Cursed Train

Chapter 6 - Cursed Train

 **AN:** Thanks for reviewing!

Guest - Yep, I thought that was a cute part to write, too! I didn't actually outline that part, it just seemed fitting when I got to it, haha.

eliot reader - I'm glad you liked it! The look I was going for for Hazel is a bit of a tomboy, but not super disheveled - more "I started today looking nice and hey I'm an empathizer so I'm covered in coal dust now and I'm too busy to fix my hair." And Jasmine, on the other hand, comes in looking super preppy and well put together, so I think it'll be fun to write about her a few chapters down the road and see if she still looks that way, haha. Yep, you're right about drivers looking more sharp than I wrote. But (right now) the three empathizers don't have a uniform, so they're just making do with the most sturdy clothing they have. I think they'll get something else soon, though. I'm really glad you've enjoyed my work so far!

 **Disclaimer:** "Okay, Gordon, your turn"

"Why have I not done this before now? I'm much more grand, you know!"

"Well, you're getting to do it now, aren't you? The readers will see it, and you'll be more famous!"

"Hmph. Alright. She doesn't own us, she's writing about us to get the word out about empathizers, which apparently we need. I don't need an empathizer, of course."

"Eh, close enough."

 **AN:** Alright, I know it took longer than usual to write this one. And I know it's short and probably a bit sappy. But hey, most of it's true, so writing something like that took a bit more time. Enjoy!

* * *

"Henry, are you alright?" I asked as I had so many times before.

"Hm? Oh…of course, why do you ask that?" he said absentmindedly.

"That doesn't sound too reassuring. What happened?" I pressed.

"…James was teasing me again. I know I shouldn't be so sensitive about it, but I can't help it. You'd think that I'd be used to it by now, though."

"That's not true. Things like that can't be gotten used to, can they?" I said quietly. "What did he say?"

"He was just on again about how the Kipper is cursed. I don't know why I even listen, but maybe it is? I mean, either it's cursed, I have awful luck - and that's practically the same thing - or I just shouldn't be pulling it. None of those are good options, Hazel."

"Aw…none of that is true, and definitely not the last one! What makes you say that?"

"I've had so many accidents pulling it - the first was the worst one by far - but they're all so embarrassing, and it just makes me feel like I'm not being useful enough every time something happens," he explained woefully.

"Aw, that's not true either…everyone has accidents, and James certainly isn't one to talk. Besides, you've been the main engine to take the Kipper for so long, something's bound to happen, right?" I tried to cheer him up.

"Well, that makes sense… I just don't know how he deals so well with it. He always bounces back so quickly, and I'm always so shaken for such a long while afterwards. And then when someone brings them back up, it just makes it worse…" he drifted off.

"Hey…don't think of it like that…you know if you think about it too much, it'll just make things worse…"

"S-sorry, I…I know this is stupid, I just - "

"It is most certainly not stupid. I'm your empathizer, remember. I understand completely what you mean," I cut him off, but not unkindly. "Back home, I don't have a lot of friends. Before we came here, Talynn and I were growing pretty distant - we don't have as much in common as we did when we were little. Honestly, we'd barely be talking if it wasn't for this. Until a few years ago, she was my only friend, too. I switched schools, and I didn't have any friends at either middle school I went to. In high school it got a bit better. I have a couple of friends - we're not close, just some people I talk to in classes - and there's a guy, we've been dating for over a year. He's the best friend I've ever had, and it's the same type of thing we have, where we understand each other so well. But having that makes it hurt even more when all my classmates ignore me or make fun of me behind my back for being shy. I know my parents mean well, but they really only add to my anxiety and make me as much of a perfectionist as they are… I guess a lot of this seems dumb, but I'm just telling you to help you feel better. I'm your empathizer for a reason, y'know? We have a lot more in common than you might think, Hen…"

"I'm really glad you told me about that - it makes this seem more real, somehow. Did it help, coming here?" He wondered.

"It did, but I hate feeling like I'm hiding something from my boyfriend, and I know I can't tell him this. I probably will eventually, I've told him stranger things," I laughed.

"That makes sense. And thank you, Hazel: you managed to keep me from overthinking what James said," he laughed. "Now that I'm not so down about it, it seems really stupid."

I laughed. "Isn't that how it always works?"

"Seems like it, doesn't it?" He replied more cheerfully.

I stood, stretching, and clambered into his cab. "Come on, let's get you ready for tonight's Flying Kipper. Just focus on the view, alright? Don't think about anything else if you get panicked. We can do this - that's why I'm your empathizer!"


	8. Chapter 7 - Semi-Normal Day

Chapter 7 - Semi-Normal Day

 **AN:** Thank you for the great reviews! I admit that this chapter is filler, very much so. But I hope it's enjoyable filler, at least. It's mostly true, as well - the homework part, I mean. I'm barely having time to write as it is, but don't worry, I'm sticking with this story. Somewhere in the back of my mind I have a handful more chapters planned out, so I can't give up now!

Aurora's Dream - Ideas like that have a lot of room to be developed, and there aren't many "facts" for Hazel to know about at this point. But I think that there couldn't be two empathizers for one engine in most cases. (Lady would have both Burnett and Lily as empathizers, but she's pretty special anyways.) Since personalities are unique between people, that special connection is super rare between an engine and a human.

eliot reader - They do have a good partnership, and some more engine-to-empathizer relationships will be discussed soon, hopefully. Yep, they'll get some actual "uniforms" soon - the empathizers are going to get more organized as there are more of them, don't worry.

CyberSearcher - ...Hazel isn't exactly the best at thinking things through when she's excited, haha.

Disclaimer: "Percy?"

"Okay, she doesn't own us or the rights to us, but she's just using us in her writing. Hey, who does own the rights to us? I thought it would be the Fat Controller, but you make it sound like it's someone else!"

"Anyways..."

* * *

I parked my car in the driveway and got my backpack out of the passenger seat. Unlocking the door, I made my way to my room. I put my bag on the floor and started texting Talynn.

"Hey, Talynn. You going to do any work tonight?"

"Not sure, I have lots of homework. English"

"That's not too bad, I could help you with that if you come. Of course, you'd have to help me with my APUSH project too"

"Maybe, what is it"

"History of transportation"

"Are you serious. You can't actually do that."

"Sure I can, I just won't film any engines since it's supposed to be US based. I'll just get some scenic track shots and put text over them. Are you coming then?"

"Well, James was listed for a special, so I guess so, I should at least talk to him first"

"See you"

I checked my watch. 5:00 pm. I started, realizing that I had probably stayed after school too long talking with my boyfriend and his friends. I checked my planner and sighed, realizing how much work I had to do. AP classes really shouldn't be taken by empathizers, should they? Even if I got my work done, I'd be up late doing the Kipper run, which meant I'd be tired for my unit test tomorrow. It was barely a month into junior year, and I was already freaking out. I sighed again, wondering when being an empathizer had gotten so stressful. Then again, it probably always had been, I had just been too excited to see it at first. But I still had a job to do, and I had to figure out how to balance it. I nodded in determination - I had to finish my work by 10:00.

By 10:15, I had finished all I could do, and said goodnight to my boyfriend. I turned out the lights in my room and hesitated long enough to make sure my parents wouldn't come in my room. After laying pillows under the sheets as an extra precaution, I changed from my pajamas into old clothes and an army jacket. I picked up my boots but didn't put them on, so I could be quiet. Lifting the small whistle to my lips, I pictured a small patch of gravel outside the sheds and - poof - there I was. I'd probably never get used to that, I laughed under my breath. I put my boots on quickly to stop the rocks from poking my feet.

I opened the farthest left set of shed doors and grinned at my engine. "Miss me?"

"No, of course not, I had James and Gordon to talk with, they're much better company, you know?" He teased me back as I hopped into his cab. "Let's get your fire started, shall we? It's been weeks since I was your driver for the Kipper!"

After building Henry's fire and checking the gauges, we drove slowly out of the sheds and made our way to the docks, not rushing so we could conserve steam. When we reached the docks, we were coupled to the train quickly, and set off.

I thought back to the first time we ran the Kipper together. By this point, I was a more confident driver, but still cautious. Henry was a bit (well, a lot) of a worrier, but he was brave when it counted, and I'd never known him to give up. I learned how to drive to encourage him when he worried and show off his strong points. We made quite the team, but we still were prone to worrying - I was his empathizer, after all.

I honestly still doubted that we should be working together every time a little something went wrong: if we overshot a platform or I had a hard time getting the gauges adjusted just right, I worried. Everything was so much more serious when driving a locomotive.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts with a jolt to keep from being down again. Whenever I was down, someone else ended up depressed from worrying. I slowly opened the regulator and Henry whistled as we began again. The sun was rising, peeking through clouds in the sky, and I smiled in an effort to stay happy.

The countryside flashed by as we picked up speed, thundering along the line. The train was a few cars longer than usual, but we still made good speed. I grinned at how strong Henry was for all of his anxiety. Of all the half dozen or so empathizers there were now, I realized that all of them except Talynn expected me to set an example. Ironically, I had less hours than many of them. Thanks, school.

The Flying Kipper reached it's final stop much quicker than I realized, still deep in thought. We uncoupled from the empty cars, leaving them to be shunted out of the way. Easing back to the yards with flushed smiles, we stopped in a siding and I hopped out. Henry had a few hours until his next train, so I let him rest like he liked to do after the Kipper.

"Hey! Kipper go well?" came Talynn's shout. I turned to see her jogging towards us from the Fat Controller's Office.

Henry opened his eyes. "As well as usual, it was quite fun!" He gave a lighthearted smile to Talynn and I.

"Good! So, Hazel. Homework time," she said, pulling a notebook from her duffel bag.

I motioned for her to wait a moment, then turned to Henry. "I missed taking the Kipper with you, y'know."

"Me too - it was great today!" His smile broadened.

"It really was - I'm sorry, but I should go. I promised Talynn we would do some homework done together, and I have class in a few hours," I explained. "I'll be back tonight, probably not for long, but just to talk, alright?"

"Alright, Hazel - I'll see you then! Take care!"

"You too, Henry."

Talynn and I got our homework done quicker than expected. Her English homework made more sense once we looked up examples of the type of poem she was working on, and we wrote a few together. She helped me film my US History project after that: we took a few pictures of tracks and empty cars, and one scene of the handful of empty spaces in the sheds. She showed me an earlier clip she had taken out James' cab, and I wrote a list ordering the pictures. After talking about our engines for a while, we parted ways through gold dust. So, yes, being a Sundrian Empathizer was very stressful. Still, there was no doubt in my mind that it was worth it.


	9. Chapter 8 - Halp Plz

Chapter 8 - Halp Plz.

 **AN:** Okay, so I know that my last two chapters haven't been the best. I hope this one can be a bit better, but the plot will be getting even deeper in the oncoming chapters. Also, there's a cliffhanger in this chapter, so there's that. Oh, and last night I had the idea to write a story about "The Adventure Begins" where each chapter tells the story from a different engine's viewpoint. Should I write it?

 **Important:** Okay, I haven't had any reviews lately, and I'd never complain about more interest in this story, so here's an idea. Only a few empathizers have been named. There are three or four that are major characters in later chapters, maybe a few more, but that still leaves a lot. So I want you, readers, to suggest empathizers to me. Pick an engine, and tell me what you think their empathizer would be like. I'll try to include as many as I can. And you can suggest engines to do the disclaimer, too! Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** "Okay Toby, it's your turn."

"Hm? Oh, thank you. Say, do you think I'll get an empathizer soon? Anyway - Hazel doesn't own us. Instead, she's writing about us to help find more empathizers for us! Right?"

"Yep! Thanks, Toby!"

* * *

We eased gently to a stop, trucks chattering behind us. The train was uncoupled and we moved slowly around to a siding. I fiddled with the controls a bit after we stopped, then left the fire to burn as I hopped from the cab. Walking carefully along Henry's running board, I spoke up.

"There now, that run's over. How do you feel now?" I gave him a concerned look.

"I couldn't steam quite as well as usual, did you notice? My tubes probably are a little bit blocked, I feel stuffed up - a bit worse than before," he gave a sniffle, then smiled. "But other than that, I feel right as rain! Well, ah…" We laughed at the irony.

He had complained before that his tubes felt partially blocked - which meant the airflow to his fire suffered, and he couldn't get up quite enough steam as usual. Henry was a bit of a hypochondriac, worrying over every ache or creaking part that needed oiling, but this was nothing to be trifled with. Ted and Robert had told me that he'd been worried about it for a few days now, and asked if I could tell Sir Topham Hatt if nothing got better, which I reminded him of now.

"Your crew said I should tell the Fat Controller after this run if you still felt ill, remember."

"Oh, yes, I suppose so. I don't really want to worry him - but what if it gets worse? It shouldn't be too much trouble to get my firebox cleaned out and inspected. I don't have another train for five…ah…five hours, and I…Ah-aaschoo! Oh…sorry about that," Henry smiled sheepishly.

I had taken a quick step back to keep from getting any more coal dust on my clothes. I always thought it was funny, that engines could sneeze at all. Of course, it was more likely when a crew wasn't careful enough and let soot and ash build up. All of Henry's serious health problems had been fixed when he was rebuilt, but he had always had a sensitive nose, I was told.

"It's alright, Henry - and bless you. Did that clear out some of the ash?" I cracked a smile.

He sniffed experimentally. "A little, but my tubes are still a bit blocked. And now my nose itches," he wrinkled his nose in frustration. "I feel worse all of a sudden, actually."

"Aw, I'm sorry…I'll go talk to the Fat Controller now, if you'd like. Hopefully we can get it sorted out soon, Hen."

Hopping down from the Black Five's running board, I jogged off in the direction of the station platforms.

When I reached Sir Topham Hatt's office, the door was locked and the lights were out. A sign was on the door saying "will be back at 1:00." Puzzled, I wondered where he was. I was supposed to tell him before we went to the works - or was I? Ted and Robert had only said that I had to mention it to him, not that I needed his permission…

But why wouldn't I need his permission? He was the railway's controller, and I should notify him unless it was an emergency, right?

But…I couldn't notify him now, and he'd want the railway to keep running as smoothly as possible. That couldn't happen if one of his engines was at less than his best. We would have time to go to the works and do a quick firebox cleaning, as long as there wasn't anyone else there to take up time.

I still stood on the platform outside the office, unsure. The platform was empty and the yards were nearly deserted for now in a rare moment of quiet.

"Ha-esschoo!" Speaking of quiet, there it goes. Henry sneezed again, the sound drifting across the yard to where I stood, followed by a series of ragged coughs. "That's it," I thought. I made up my mind and set off back towards my engine.

"That cough of yours doesn't sound too good, is everything alright?" I asked as I drew closer.

"I think it's getting worse, since there's less airflow to move the ashes now. But I don't feel that bad, it's probably like what you'd call a cold, and it's easily mended. Besides, I've felt worse," Henry laughed, grinning grimly.

"Aw, are you sure? You sound more stuffed up now, too, y'know. The office was empty, but I can't just let you take your next train feeling badly. Let's go get you feeling better!" I climbed back into his cab.

"Are you sure? No one was there - should we go?" Henry asked, unsure.

"Well, I see it like this: you can't be really useful if you aren't feeling well, right? I'll just tell him when we get back!"

Henry still seemed unsure, but then he began coughing again. "Alright, let's go get this fixed," he agreed quickly.

The journey to the steam works was slow and somewhat tedious. I drove carefully, trying to be as smooth as possible and to let Henry take it easy. The extra airflow seemed to help a little, but it was hard to tell since more steam was needed, which made him feel worse.

Every mile or two he would begin coughing again, but he kept pushing on. "Did I ever tell you about the Super Rescue? I've pulled a train with my regulator jammed - and pulled two diesels along too! This is nothing!" He assured me (and then promptly fell into a sneezing fit, the dork.)

When we finally reached the steam works, I was more worried than ever - Henry had assured me that he would be alright, but I was also worried about getting us in trouble. What if I hadn't made the right decision.

Henry's fire was put out and his firebox cleaned. One of the workers shouted from the cab, "Yep, his tubes have quite a bit of ash, it's a wonder he doesn't feel worse! Don't worry, I'll get this fixed in a flash!"

I checked my watch anxiously.

Although it felt like much longer, the work was finished quickly. "Just a quick bit of maintenance, nobody's fault," I was assured.

We left the works in far better spirits than when we had arrived. I was still nervous, but happy to have Henry feeling himself again.

Clearly he was happy, too. He took a deep breath of fresh air as we started again, smiling. I spent the whole journey trying to hold him back, but he was excited and feeling the best he had felt in days.

We returned to the yards just in time. As we eased to a stop at the platform, Henry's cheeks flushed pink from the fast run, Thomas (with Jasmine in the cab) shunted a train of coaches behind us.

Ted and Robert were waiting on the platform, still empty except for a handful of early passengers.

"Did you get your firebox cleaned, old boy?" Robert asked as he and Ted climbed into the cab.

"Oh, yes, I feel much better!" Henry smiled happily. Ted and Robert began checking gauges and stoking the fire, still much more experienced than I was. I stepped down onto the platform and watched. More passengers began to crowd into the area and then board the train.

As Henry blew his whistle and began to move off, I waved to him and his crew. Now standing alone on the empty platform, I remembered that I had to tell Sir Topham Hatt about my decision to take Henry to the works. I knocked on the office door, so deep in thought that I didn't hear the voices inside.

"Oh, come in, Hazel! You had something to say about Henry, did you? Come in, meet the newest empathizer!"

As the door opened fully, all thoughts of the steam works left my mind. The empathizer turned to face me.

Help please.


	10. Chapter 9 - Another New Empathizer

Chapter 9 - Another New Empathizer

 **AN:** I know it's been a while, guys. You know that slump a few chapters before the action really picks up? It should get better around chapter eleven, I'm trying. But here's an update that I've cranked out while on vacation, I hope it isn't too bad.

Guest Crazy 88: Thank you so much for this review! I really, really like the characters you've thought up. Hopefully they'll be added in throughout this story and the sequels I've planned. And you'll recognize one in this chapter, if only briefly. There will be more character development for everyone eventually, as the viewpoint begins to move away from Hazel.

 **Disclaimer:** "Okay, Emily? Do you want to do it this time?"

"Oh, of course, I don't mind. Well, Hazel doesn't own us, obviously. We're owned by the Fat Controller, you see. I don't know who Percy was talking about. Hazel just wants to see more of us with our own empathizers."

* * *

I stood dumbstruck trying to figure out what to say. Finally the new empathizer spoke.

"…Hazel? What…what are you doing here?" He stood up, giving me a curious look.

"So, um…Brian…" I laughed uneasily. "I…please don't be angry at me…I really wanted to tell you about this, but I couldn't say anything. There's something going on, it probably sounds crazy, but I can't let anything get out. They might be in danger here - all of them."

Sir Topham Hatt had been silent until now, looking between us. "Yes, I told Brian about P. T. Boomer before you came in. If you don't mind me asking, how do you two know each other?" He shuffled the stack of papers I recognized as the empathizer assessments.

"Yeah, um…we're dating," he began.

"It's been over a year," I added on, laughing at the irony of it all.

"Well, that's certainly an interesting situation. I can't say we've ever had two empathizers who were in a relationship before. We have had some who were related, like Lily and Burnett - like I said, they're the only two empathizers to work with the same engine. But this…this is going to be interesting, isn't it?" He drifted off, shuffling through the papers again.

"Alright, Hazel, I expect you want to see the results," he handed me one of the papers. My eyes drifted across the page, skimming over the questions until I reached the bottom. In a neat cursive writing one word was circled. "Edward."

I laughed. "Really? That's great! I could've almost told you that, it's so obvious now!" I hugged Brian, still smiling broadly.

After a moment, Sir Topham Hatt coughed pointedly, interrupting our frantic chattering. "I still have a railway to run, you two. But I understand your excitement. It looks like neither of your engines have a job to do, so how about you just spend some time talking?"

I looked to Brian, who nodded quickly. "Good, then - now, shoo. I have a meeting with someone important and I don't want to see him as it is." The Controller sat back down at his desk. Still in a sort of giddy shock, Brian and I left the office.

"Come here - they have really good snacks at this stand. I'll get you a pretzel or something, and then we can talk, alright?" I held both of Brian's hands, tugging him towards the stand on the other end of the quickly filling platform.

"How long have you been coming here? - No, that sounded really rude, I'm sorry," Brian started.

"A few months, maybe half a year?" I tried to count back, looking up as Gordon stopped at the platform. "I wish I could've told you…"

"Please don't worry, I understand that you couldn't tell me. But now, we don't have to keep this a secret! It's just another crazy similarity, right?" He rested his hand on my arm. "And guess what? Now we have another thing we can work together on. And you'll have to help me learn how things work, y'know…"

I smiled. "That's true! And for starters…" I gave a half smile, my eyes following Gordon as he left with the train, "Gordon left a bit fast. He has a new empathizer - Jacob, that's it - and he isn't completely comfortable yet. Gordon will be telling him how bad that start was for the rest of the day…" I laughed knowingly. "Luckily I've never had any problems like that. Henry and I get along pretty well."

"So you are Henry's empathizer? How did I know that already?" Brian laughed.

"You know me too well - just like I knew you'd be paired with Edward!" I teased him back. "Seriously, you guys will work really, really well together. I can already tell. He's pretty easy to get along with - but you have to be careful with him, I suppose. To be fair, most of these engines are getting along in years, so you do have to be pretty careful anyways. No sudden stops and make sure you give him time for the fire to start well in the mornings. That's about all there is to know, aside from learning the actual work from the driver and fireman. That will take a while," I laughed, remembering my first solo run.

"How often do you come here a week?" Brian asked curiously.

"Uh…a lot. Usually four or five days - but most of those are just me popping in for a few minutes to say hello. I can actually drive a train maybe once a week, at most. It took me months to do a solo run."

"Really? I mean, isn't that kind of short? It takes people years to work through the ranks and learn how to drive a steam engine, right?" he questioned me.

"Well, it usually does. I guess that's just one of the perks of being an empathizer," I laughed. "For once, something comes naturally. We understand our engine, and we learn the best with them. I was told that I have a really strong empathetic relationship with Henry - it's really weird, but cool, definitely." I explained, still excited.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Do you think I'll be able to do that too? I mean, he said I'd have a strong relationship too, but do you think I can do it? I'm not exactly the best at that type of thing."

"Of course - and it's not like any of us are at first. Come on, almost all empathizers right now are teenagers. Besides, it's really important that they find new empathizers. There's a reason all of us are finding these entrances at one time. There's a reason why we're here, and our job is to figure out why as soon as we're skilled enough."


End file.
